Hosting and Domain Names
SiteGround
SiteGround is a beloved provider of WordPress-optimized hosting accounts. Their plans, which start at only $3.95 a month, are recognized on the official WordPress hosting page!
GoDaddy
Certainly the most popular domain registrar out there, GoDaddy registers more domains than any of its competitors. Domains start at around $10 a year.
WordPress Themes
GeneratePress (Free with Premium Upgrades Available)
Don’t let its price fool you – GeneratePress is a solid choice for WordPress users of all skill levels. We like the theme so much that we’re running a customized version of it on this very website!
Karuna (Free)
While not as customizable as GeneratePress, Karuna is a fantastic choice for those in search of a free WordPress theme. It’s maintained by the team behind WordPress and looks fantastic on monitors and devices of all shapes and sizes.
Divi (Premium)
Divi is perfect for webmasters looking to craft a completely unique website design from a drag-and-drop interface. Users who join Elegant Themes will receive the Divi theme and the popular Divi page builder plugin along with many other WordPress resources.
You can find more free themes in the WordPress theme repository and a vast selection of powerful premium themes at Elegant Themes.
WordPress Plugins
Contact Form 7 (Free)
This plugin from Takayuki Miyoshi is among the most popular in the WordPress plugin repository. It does not provide a drag-and-drop interface like similar contact form plugins, but it is bundled with a pre-built form that you can easily add to a new or existing contact page immediately after activation.
WooCommerce (Free)
If you intend to sell products from your website, you need to install WooCommerce. The WooCommerce plugin is maintained by Automattic, the same company responsible for the launch of WordPress and much of its development. WooCommerce users can sell both physical and digital products with the plugin.
Divi Builder (Premium)
Webmasters with very specific design needs and without any coding experience are often limited by the WordPress platform’s Gutenberg and classic editors. If you’re a customer of Elegant Themes and would like to leverage the drag-and-drop page-building capabilities of the popular Divi theme from a theme of your choosing, simply install and activate Divi Builder.
Yoast SEO (Free)
The Yoast SEO plugin simplifies the process of optimizing your website for search. Install and activate it to receive real-time SEO and readability suggestions as you craft your pages and posts. Yoast SEO offers webmasters a quick way to generate up-to-date sitemaps as well.
Slick Slider (Free)
Take Slick Slider for a spin if you’re sick of the same old if you’re looking to enhance the WordPress platform’s native photo gallery functionality. Slick Slider can transform your galleries into mobile-responsive carousels with support for touch interaction and slide transitions. The WordPress plugin was developed by Philipp Bammes but is based on the work of Ken Wheeler.
WP Super Cache (Free)
With search companies like Google using site speed as a ranking signal, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your pages load quickly across all connections. Install and activate WP Super Cache by Automattic to generate static versions of your content to serve pages and posts quicker and to reduce hosting requirements.
The WordPress plugin repository boasts a selection of more than 50,000 free plugins, while Elegant Themes and Envato’s CodeCanyon offer premium plugin options for users in need of expanded functionality.